Do Canadians feel protected?

According to recent polls, Canadians feel less protected than they did in pre-COVID times and blame federal and provincial governments.

The Canadian Studies Association found out how crime and violence rates in today's respondents' local communities can be compared to what they experienced before the pandemic in early 2020.

72% of British Columbia residents said crime and violence had increased since the pandemic began, 54% of Quebec residents responded the same. The majority said no answer if they had experienced vandalism, theft, or physical violence.

The most common unsafe situation, according to respondents, was aggressive behavior, threats, and yelling in the neighbourhood. 20% said they had experienced that, and 19% said they feared for their safety at least once in the past six months. 5% had experienced physical violence.

According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada (StatCan), the overall crime rate reported by police remained unchanged in 2021 as it was in the first year of the pandemic. Non-violent crime, including burglaries and robberies, declined in both 2020 and 2021.

According to StatCan, incidents of harassment and threatening behavior have risen steadily since 2017, and reports of this kind have increased since the pandemic began.

More than half of those surveyed said they thought law enforcement, the city, and the municipality were doing a good public safety job. Only 39% said the same about their provincial government.

Residents of Ontario were least satisfied with their provincial government, and residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan were least satisfied with the federal government.

People over the age of 55 and those who live in Quebec are most satisfied with law enforcement. But less than half of Atlantic Canadians think the police do their job well.

The survey also asked if stricter gun control would help people feel safer. 47% of respondents said yes, while 42% said it would make no difference.